Thread: Sparkie advice for tool killer.

Carry pine,
Is your 20 metre extension lead out straight or is it on a spool, in the uk a few years ago there were problems with powertools carping it, this wasx due to extension cords on spools not being fully extended and overheating the tools etc, may be something to think about.

Dave

Wouldn't at all be surprised if its the motor on the cheaper tools...

But aside from that...Something you could do at low cost, is to re-terminate both ends of your extension lead. Quite legal for you to do this yourself.

Extension leads cop quite a beating and the two ends are the weakest point.

Try there first.

regards

Originally Posted by spartan

Wouldn't at all be surprised if its the motor on the cheaper tools...

But aside from that...Something you could do at low cost, is to re-terminate both ends of your extension lead. Quite legal for you to do this yourself.

Extension leads cop quite a beating and the two ends are the weakest point.

Try there first.

regards

I think a 20 m extension cord is fine. But are you sure it's not cooked? Maybe it's not letting enough power through.

Easiest test is to try another extension lead.

If it still does it, then you may need to look further.

If all OK with other lead, then maybe it is the lead that is the problem.

I have a 40 mt heavy duty lead that I use with all my tools and have never had a problem, but I make sure that it is fully unwound and not looped on top of itself anywhere. It can be a pain to unwind and wind up but i have been told you can cause lots of problems it is not fully unwound.

PS. I'm not a sparky and this is not qualified advice

Thanks guys,

I'm prepared to change over extension leads. I already use them fully laid out, no rolling.

But what happens to the tool? Does something burn out or short? Maybe a real sparkie needs to answer this.

Graham

Could be Chinaman's horse phenomenon.

....

Or just random variation: how many power tools do you have? What error rate in QC does a factory live with?

They're going to die sooner or later. You're looking for a connection between several events, but losing Tatts one week doesn't mean you should have a better chance of winning the next.

First go at this so ....
Poor quality extension leads are made of thinner conductors this means that the voltage drop along the lead is greater. Generally the more you pay the more you get(not saying yours is cheap but just an example). If it is then replaceing it with a good quality one is the answer. A lesser known fact of all electrical appliances is that they run on a small amount of smoke installed at manufacture and once this is released it is all over. In a well used lead the strands can break and so cutting 100mm off and re terminating the ends can possiably fix the problem. Otherwise purchasing some 1.5mm2 flex and plugs to suit or for longer leads(remembering that in aus we are limited to 30M) 2.5mm2 flex and plugs to suit (this is also good for short leads 15A) may be the answer to your problems.

Originally Posted by another termite

As for the death of the tools the greater the voltage drop the more current the tool pulls

Interesting comment - how do you come to that conclusion?

woodcutta

Woodcutta

What another termite says is pretty correct. With household electricity volts = current(amps) X resistance. The extension lead and tools resistance will stay relatively stable but the voltage and current will float up and down with load on the tool. The volts shouldnt change much but the current will depend on how hard the tool is being used.

Carry be mindful that we used to get 240 volts but we are now being told to expect 230 volts as a supply. If you had low volts already maybe if your lead is a bit dodgy it could be causing a big load on the tools by dragging excess current. This could also be because of a crook connection at a junction box or power point. Has your power bill increased a bit in the last year or so? If so it could be a cause.

I would be getting a sparky to run a meggar over your lead to test the insulation resistance and continuity of the cores. By the way, do you have an earth leakage circuit breaker?(safety switch) Have you tested it lately? They do fail sometimes and if you dont test them you wont know its not working. Alot of manufacturers recommend that you test them once a month. This is something else that could make tools fail faster if its faulty.

Just a bit of food for thought.

Shane.

Current would increase if the output was to stay constant?

Just some of the things I have learnt (in college and as working as a lighting and sound tech),
1) a coiled lead acts like a resistor
2) if the conductor cross-section is too small to carry the current required by the motor, it will burn out, melt etc...
3) V=IxR (Voltage=Current x Resistance)
4) and as per above I=V/R and R=V/I

If your extension lead is rated at or above the amps (current) of the fuse or breaker of the power point you are plugged into, the fuse should blow before the lead fails. If not then your lead is acting as the fuse. Does the saw/tool stop working when plugged directly into the power point? If it operates fine under load, directly plugged in. then the cord you are using is not rated high enough for the amount of current your tools are drawing.

Now that's the advice I was looking for. I'm prepared to ditch the old lead (which was rated at 10 amps) and use a new one rated at 15 amps. I know about the coiling.

What another termite said about 'the smoke' was interesting. I've never heard of that. Anyone else care to comment?

Still doesn't explain why some tools go for years and some last 2 weeks.

Carry Pine

What they are saying above is all good advice. I would be using the 2.5sqmm and as you allready know uncoiled

Most leads today are imported and made in some cheap OS plant with little quality control. Tools are also coming in with 10 amp style plugs molded on the end which are stamped 15 amps but plug into the 10 amp socket. I found this on the new jet 3hp bandsaw

A can of smoke usually fixes all electrical burn outs. Just replce the smoke that come out.

the quality of the tools may have something to do with the amout of time thay last or even the size of the motor. The larger the motor, the more current the tool requires to start, the more current pulled down a lead the greater the voltage drop is going to be at the tool end thus increasing the temperature of the lead which will increase the resistance and so on and so forth. Leads act more like a resistor than a fuse it would take a lot of current to blow one that is in reasonable condition. Plugging the tool directly into a power point to test it as sundancewfs suggested will tell you if the smoke has gotten out and rendered it PHUT (Pathetic heap of useless technology) If this is the case prehaps you can ask simomatra if he knows of a good 'can o smoke' supplier.